1. DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver, Houston Texans
Watching quarterback Brock Osweiler shy away from passing to Hopkins in 2016 was unbearable for all parties involved. Hopkins is an elite pass-catcher who should not have to suffer from the poor decision made by the Texans to trust Osweiler as a starter.
Even he knows this.
Spoke w/DeAndre Hopkins, who had choice words about Brock Osweiler: "[As a WR], your play is dictated by others' play." #Texans
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 1, 2017
Hopkins’ targets dropped from 192 to 151 in 2016. As a result, Hopkins caught a career-low 51.7 percent of his passes. He finished the season with 78 receptions for 954 yards and only four touchdowns. This was down from his 1,521-yard, 11-touchdown 2015 campaign.
Clearly, the major monkey wrench to Hopkins’ production was Osweiler. Hopkins has one more season left with Houston since the Texans picked up his fifth-year option last spring.
Just imagine if the New England Patriots had been successful attempting to trade for Hopkins this past October (more on that here). Hopkins would be a deserving Super Bowl champion. An achievement that is nowhere close to happening on Hopkins’ current team.